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Image description: Alessandro standing on a supposed outcrop bearing Permian brachiopods in Mongolia: there was no outcrop in the sight of kilometers. September 2025

Alessandro Carniti

China

January 13, 2026

Brachiopods in late Palaezoic reefs: much more than boring “dwellers”

Brachiopods were among the most successful groups of marine invertebrates in the late Palaeozoic, so it is not surprising that they were commonly found also in reefs. However, most reef workers have overlooked the brachiopod component of reef faunas, mainly focusing on the corals. A palaeoecological re-evaluation of the reefs from the Carboniferous of England and their brachiopod faunas shows how brachiopods were not simple secondary reef dwellers: they were abundant, diverse, partly endemic and highly specialized to the reef environment, and thus they were playing a fundamental role in shaping the reef structure and influencing its ecosystem. This research shows the importance of studying all taxonomic groups in ancient reef environments, not only focusing on the most obvious reef builders.